The Beast Within
by November Rain 19
Summary: Our resident bookworm is going to become a very different type of animal after an attack in the Forbidden Forest. Eventual Hr/G femmeslash and first fic in HP world. Be gentle. Chapter 9 is up.
1. Changes

**Author's Notes: I've long been a reader of HP fanfic, but never before tried one of my own. So keep that in mind. I have been reading a lot of awesome Hr/G fics the past few days and it gave me the courage to try this.**

**This was originally an answer to a challenge for a Hr/G yahoo group. I found it in the depths of an old hard drive, so I decided to give it another crack. Also: Femmeslash. Hermione/Ginny. If it is not your cup of tea don't read it. Or if it is not your cup of tea and you do read it, don't tell me how much you hate it or how this couple would never 'work.' The whole point of fanfiction is to write about character pairings that we as fans would like to see.**

**Let's see, what else….I guess I will say this takes place during Harry's 6th year, though it doesn't follow HBP. Any mistakes are my own. Oh yeah, and Harry Potter is incredibly not mine. JKR is awesome for creating such a cool universe.  
**

* * *

The Beast Within

By Melissa

She sucked the salt from her fingers, remnants of the bag of potato crisps she had been munching on. One by one by one, in such slow succession that it nearly drove me insane. I swallowed hard. She must have realized I was staring because she returned my gaze, but with only a fraction of the intensity.

"What?" she said shyly, and suddenly self-conscious. "Do I have something on my face?"

'Me…. In a minute,' was all I could think. I reached out with my hand and brushed the soft skin of her cheek with my callused thumb. The constant note taking through the years had done a number on my hands.

"Got it," I lied, since there was nothing there to begin with.

She reached up and took my hand in hers. She began rubbing the pads of my fingers with her own. Now it was my turn to be self-conscious.

"Sorry about my rough hands…"

She smiled as she continued to stroke my fingertips. I bit my bottom lip hard to keep from sighing, so much so that I tore the skin and could taste copper.

Her eyebrows knit in an adorable display of concern. "You bit your lip. You're bleeding."

I withdrew my hand from hers, slowly, as to savor the contact until the very last second.

"A nasty habit," I replied. "Some people bite their nails…" I drew my bottom lip into my mouth and gently sucked on it to stem the flow of blood.

I went back to the textbook laying before me, knowing full well that Ginny was still staring at me. I would not return her stare. If I looked up I knew I wouldn't be able to look away. And not being able to look away would cause me to leap across the table, pounce on her, and kiss her like it was going out of style.

"I've got to get going," I say hastily. "There's some ingredients I need to collect."

"Do you want some help?" she asks, completely innocently.

"No, I'll be okay." I shove my books, quills and parchment into my bag and head back to the Tower. If she knew where I was going to collect the ingredients, she would have insisted that she come with me. Not that I would have minded in the least bit, but I don't know how much longer I could control myself around her.

_Later_

I ran like I had never run in my life.

Dear Merlin, it was almost on me. I could hear it slobbering between ragged breaths. It could smell my fear and if I did not do something, it would soon taste my blood.

In retrospect, it was extremely foolish of me to go traipsing into the Forbidden Forest. I rationalized that I wasn't going in very far. I suppose they can write that on my tombstone.

I needed some fluxweed, used for polyjuice potions, which needs to be harvested during a full moon to be effective. I like to keep supplies on hand in case we need them. Ever since those break-ins to Snape's office, he had placed wards. He wasn't a fool and I wasn't about to get expelled for breaking and entering. So, true to form, death seemed preferable to expulsion. Which is all I can think of as I run for my life.

Tonight was the full moon. In and out of the forest, that was all I was going to do. Grab a hand full of the weed and be on my way. The best-laid plans though, are the ones that most often go asunder.

I couldn't very well tell anyone what I was doing. Not even Harry or Ron, who surely would want to accompany me. I had previously turned down Ginny, mostly because if Ron had heard I had taken his little sister into the Forbidden Forest he would have killed me. Twice. And of course we all know what happens when Ron, Harry and I get together to do something less than legal.

The light of the full moon lit the grounds but could do nothing to penetrate the trees. I stopped at the edge of the forest and peered in. It was like looking into an abyss.

'Lumos,' I whispered, the tip of my wand illuminating. I weaved my way through the trees. My quarry was not but a thirty feet in from the tree line, just as I expected it to be. After glancing cautiously around I rushed in and bent down, examining the plant. Yanking some out of the ground, I hastily turned to leave.

It was then that I heard heavy breathing, not unlike that of Crabbe or Goyle after they have climbed steps in the castle. I froze. I knew I should have just kept walking, but my legs would not obey.

I didn't want to turn around to see what it was, afraid of what might be making that sound. I didn't have to, because it leaped over my head, coming between my freedom and me. Startled, I dropped my wand, and with it my only way of seeing.

I couldn't see it, but I knew it was big and I also knew it couldn't possibly be friendly.

'Run!' My brain was screaming. Well, if I was going to die, it was going to have to catch me first.

I ran parallel to the edge of the forest. I couldn't lose sight of clearing or I was a goner for sure. I think I caught the monster by surprise because for a scant second I thought it wasn't following me.

Then I heard it. It was snarling, as if angry it was actually going to have to catch its dinner.

I veer suddenly to the right, so desperately wanting to believe that if I could just make it out of the forest I would be okay. But I made such a sharp cut that I lost my footing.

And then it is on me. I feel its hot, fetid breath on my skin only an instant before its teeth tears my skin.

I scream. And then I feel nothing

* * *

Hermione sits bolt upright in a bed in the hospital wing, her heart threatening to break out of the contents of her chest. Was it a dream? Upon seeing the large bandage on her right arm she learns it is more like falling into a nightmare instead of waking from one.

Madame Pomfrey bustles in, no doubt to check on her status.

"Hermione, thank the stars you are awake. It was a bit of a touch and go there for a while. We thought maybe we had lost you."

"How did I get here?"

"Hagrid said he found you by the edge of the forbidden forest. Something had attacked you. You lost a lot of blood and looked like death itself when he brought you in."

"Please don't take this the wrong way, Madame Pomfrey…but why am I not dead?"

"That's the interesting part actually. I'm sure you would have died had Hagrid not found you when he did. And he did because of a Unicorn. After making his rounds he said he saw a unicorn at the edge of the forest. He went to investigate and it was standing watch over you. He picked you up and ran all the way here."

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

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**A/N: There's more where this came from, if anyone is interested.**


	2. Relief

**Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay. The muses are fickle at best. Here's the second part. It's a bit short, and un-betaed, so any mistakes are my own. There is plenty more where this came from, I just have to flesh it out, so look for this to be a whole bunch more chapters. Eventually. Happy reading.**

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The Beast Within, Part 2:

Relief

By Melissa

Ginny ran through the halls of Hogwarts faster than she even thought was possible. A Ravenclaw studying late had seen Hagrid carry an unconscious Hermione to the medical wing, and had to beg the Fat Lady to let her into the Gryffindor common room. After waking Ginny, who was very grateful, the Ravenclaw went back to her own common room. The red head wasn't the least concerned about running into anyone of authority in the wee morning hours. No one in their right mind would dare mess with her.

'She better be all right,' Ginny thought as she continued down the forever winding corridors, 'because I am going to kill her.'

When she had reached the medical wing she had to skid to a stop. Ginny burst through the doors to see Hermione sitting up in bed, reading a large book propped up against her thighs. The redhead ran over and practically threw herself at the older girl.

Hermione looked up at the sound of footsteps and barely caught Ginny as best she could with her good arm.

"What happened??" Ginny asked with a mixture of exasperation and relief.

Hermione looked around, making sure Madam Pomfrey wasn't in earshot. "I needed some fluxweed…" she said quietly.

"Oh sweet Merlin…you went into the Forbidden Forest by yourself??"

The brown haired girl put a finger to her lips in a 'quiet down' symbol. "Kind of…"

Ginny was not heading the warning as her voice continued to rise. "What is wrong with you?? You could have been killed!!" The young red head's eyes were brimming with tears.

"That wasn't my intention…" Hermione's voice sounded weak, even to herself. "I was just going to grab some and get out."

Ginny gestured to Hermione's bandaged arm, her eyebrows nearly in her hairline.

"Okay, so it didn't go exactly how I planned. But I'm fine! A few bumps and bruises. Whatever was chasing me must have been scared off by the unicorn."

The notion of a unicorn scaring off anything nearly made Ginny laugh out loud. The fact was though Hermione was okay, and that was all she really cared about.

Ginny hugged Hermione fiercely. "Please don't do anything like that again. Or at least without bringing me with you."

Hermione smiled slightly into Ginny's russet colored locks. Her friend's concern was touching and sweet. She inhaled deeply, and registered the scent of her friend. The hair and skin of Ginny was perhaps the best thing Hermione had ever smelled in her life. And she suddenly became very aware of Ginny being in her arms, and how good it felt. And how there was nothing but a couple of thin nightgowns separating them.

Ginny slowly broke the embrace and Hermione was extremely disappointed. That disappointment was soon replaced as Ginny stayed on the hospital bed and slowly moved to stretch out next to Hermione. The heart of the older girl leapt into her throat. While she and Ginny had shared a bed before, it hadn't occurred since Hermione had discovered she was crushing on the youngest Weasley.

Ginny looked up at Hermione staring down at her. "I'm sorry. Do you mind if I stay here with you tonight?"

'You can stay here forever.' Luckily this was merely a thought and not an actual statement.

Hermione closed the book and placed it on the floor. She turned off the lamp on the bedside table and hunkered down on her side, facing Ginny. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow and evening out. Hermione couldn't blame her for being tired. The adrenaline rush had no doubt died down. Hermione however, her adrenaline was flowing freely and she had no doubt sleep would not be coming as easily for her.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind Ginny's ear and then placed her bandaged arm gingerly across Ginny's waist.

The older girl closed her eyes, and though she would never know it, fell asleep rather easily to the thrumming, hypnotic sound of synchronic heartbeats.

* * *

_A few weeks later_

* * *

Things had pretty much gotten back to normal after the FF incident. Hermione's injuries healed up nicely and school life went on as it always had. Classes were rigorous, Slytherin and Gryffindor were still fierce rivals in everything, and talk of Quidditch, both professional and the school teams, predominated at nearly every meal.

Harry and Ron were sitting at breakfast, wolfing down the last of their meals before heading off to class with Snape. Hermione was not with them. Harry figured she had been in the dungeon since sun up, probably preparing for Snape's lecture.

The boys ran to the classroom and made it with only seconds to spare. They took a couple of seats in the middle of the room. Harry scanned the classroom and was shocked to find their friend not there already.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Maybe she's running late." Ron tried to hold in a laugh, but he and Harry couldn't help it. Hermione running late was such a ridiculous notion.

"The only reason she would ever miss Potions was if she was dead. And even then, I don't think she would," Ron said once he could control his voice again.

Snape suddenly slammed the dungeon door shut. He strode to the front of the class, surveying his 'victims.' His eyes came to rest on Hermione's empty seat and they widened slightly in surprise. While he could not stand the insufferable know-it-all, it was extremely unlike her to miss his class. Especially a double lecture.

"Potter. Weasley. Where is Granger?"

"We don't know, sir," Harry replied, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

"Hmmm. Well, when or if you do see her next inform her she is to write double the length of the homework I assign you tonight as punishment for missing class."

"There might be a good reason she is not here. She could be in the hospital wing or something," Ron offered.

"Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley. When I want your opinion, I will give it to you. Now, on with the lesson…"

Harry and Ron looked at each other, and then at Hermione's vacant chair. Neville, sitting nearby with distinctly less color in his face, also looked longingly at where his salvation usually sat.

"I hope she is all right," Ron whispered to Harry. It was the last said on the subject though as they had to get to work.

After potions, the two tired boys trudged back to their dorm.

"Password please?" The fat lady asked them.

"Gillyweed," Harry answered, and the picture frame obligingly swung forward to admit them.

After crossing the threshold Harry and Ron stopped dead in their tracks at what they saw.

Hermione was sitting in the common room, playing wizards chess with what looked like a 4th or 5th year.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted. "Are you all right? Where have you been??"

"I'm fine," she replied, looking up from the game. "And I've been right here all morning."

"But…but you weren't in Potions…" Harry trailed off.

"I know. I just didn't feel like going today." One of Hermione's knights skewered a pawn with its sword.

/THUD/

Ron's knees hit the floor. The shock of such a statement had just proven too much for his body to handle.

* * *

_To Be Continued…_

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**A/N: Did you like it? Let me know. I'm having fun writing it. **

Quote: "I wanna be the last thing you hear when you're falling asleep." – Counting Crows, Catapult, Recovering The Satellites


	3. Cravings

**A/N: Thanks for reading, guys. It makes my day when you leave me little notes about it.**

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The Beast Within, Part 3:

Cravings

By Melissa

Harry stared at Hermione as if she had grown another head. Ron was still kneeling on the floor in shock.

"You…you didn't feel like going to Potions?" Harry finally asked for clarification. There is no way in the Wizarding world he had heard her correctly.

"Yes," Hermione replied, waiting for her playing partner to make a move.

"Right." The Boy Who Lived was flabbergasted. "You didn't by any chance hit your head, did you? Take total leave of your senses?"

"Why is it so hard for you to believe that I didn't want to go to class?"

"Because that is something Ron and I do!! You have never missed a class! Hell, you even doubled up on courses using the Time Turner."

Hermione had checkmate and slowly started putting the game away. She looked at Harry quizzically. "I think I am allowed to miss one class, Harry. Don't worry so much. And you might want to check to see if Ron is still breathing." She tucked the game under her arm and headed towards the girl's dormitory.

Harry watched the retreating figure of his friend before he turned to Ron and began to help him up off the floor.

* * *

_That Night, At Dinner_

* * *

Hermione grabbed a piece of meat from the dead middle of the roast. It was the rarest looking meat Harry had seen outside of a field. He swallowed hard as Hermione tucked into it voraciously.

"I thought Hermione liked her meat well done." Harry said to Ginny.

"She does," Ginny replied, looking up from the paper she was reading. "She won't even touch a piece of meat if it is the slightest bit pink."

"You might want to tell her that."

Ginny looked across the table and down a bit at her friend. Her jaw dropped as she watched Hermione eat her dinner. The meat looked like it had been wafted past a flame and then slapped on a plate. And the older girl certainly looked as if she was enjoying it.

Ginny continued to stare for a moment. 'I wish I was that piece of meat,' she thought. 'Whoa. Where the _hell _did that come from??' she thought to herself.

The red haired girl had had something of a mild crush on Hermione Granger since 3rd year. She had often lied to herself, saying it was solely hero worship. Who wouldn't want to worship the brown haired girl? She was smart, funny, loyal, brave and quite a looker.

For a while she had managed to push it out of her mind. Until now, it seems.

Harry leaned closer to Ginny. "Has Hermione been acting a little strange to you lately?"

Ginny scrunched her eyebrows together, thankful to be distracted by the sudden turn her brain had taken. "Not really. Why?"

"Because she missed Potions today. On purpose."

"What??" Ginny couldn't believe that. Hermione had gone to class when she had been on her death bead with the flu last winter. Professors had begged, nay threatened her with detention to make her to stay away. "She missed class _on purpose_?"

Harry nodded, eyes again flicking to Hermione as she ravaged her meal.

After her forth helping, Hermione was getting ready to get up from the table, and looking very much like the cat who caught the canary.

Ginny went to get up as well. She wanted to get Hermione alone and ask if there was anything going on. She caught up with her outside in the corridor.

"Hi, Gin," Hermione said, licking her lips. "Boy, that was the best meal I've had in a while."

Ginny looked at the older girl. "The way you were eating, it certainly looked like it. When did you start eating rare meat though?"

Hermione was at a loss for a moment. She hadn't really noticed the meat she had been eating wasn't well done as she usually liked it. It had just tasted so damn good. She finally shrugged. "I guess my tastes have changed."

Ginny smirked at her friend. While traversing the hallways, Hermione had moved closer to the youngest Weasley, so now their arms brushed together as they walked. The brief, occasional contact made Ginny shiver with…desire? Anticipation? She didn't know exactly, only that it was one hell of a feeling going on inside her. Hermione's skin was absolutely radiating heat, and Ginny found herself wanting more and more contact with it.

They walked in silence for a little while. Ginny fought the urge to put her arm around Hermione's waist.

"Hermione? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," the older girl replied.

"Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" The older girl had no idea where this was coming from.

"Well, Harry seems to think you've been acting a little strange lately. And I guess eating a cow that was one step removed from grazing tonight helped fuel that."

Hermione laughed, deep and throaty. "So I like my meat a little less well done than I used to. And I didn't feel like going to one of Snape's awful classes. It doesn't mean I'm under the Imperius curse or something."

Ginny wasn't entirely convinced, but somehow Hermione's arm had become entwined in hers and she found herself suddenly not caring about much of anything.

"People change, Ginny. It's a fact of life. It's not like I'm transferring to Slytherin or declaring my undying love for the Dark Lord."

They walked back to their House's tower in relative silence. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, leading up to the dormitories.

"Well, I think I am going to hit the sack," Hermione said, as she stretched. She unhooked her arm from Ginny's and gave her a hug. As they separated, she kissed the red head on the cheek. Extremely close to the corner of her mouth.

"G'night, Gin." Hermione climbed the stairs slowly.

Ginny stood there, watching the retreating form. It wasn't until her brain screamed at her to release the breath she had been holding before she passed out.

She exhaled and had to grab the banister for support. Did Hermione just almost kiss her? Was she reading too much into a friendly gesture? Did her heart have to be palpitating like this?

"What just happened?" Ginny asked herself out loud. Luckily there was no one in the Common Room to offer up any answers.

* * *

_To Be Continued…._

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**A/N: This probably should have been combined with last chapter, but I had just written the majority of it today. Thoughts? Likes? Dislikes? Let me know. Until next time.**

**Quotes: "Never close your lips to those whom you have opened your heart." - Charles Dickens**

**"When it comes to love, you don't get to choose, you just fall. When it comes to friendship, you don't go and search, it's whoever is there to catch you."**


	4. Strength

**A/N: Sorry about the short chapters, everyone. It's been so long since I've really written, so I'm trying to get back into the groove. The chapters look so much longer in MS Word… Anyway. I am pleased to say though this one is twice as long as the others. /grins/ I've been at it all day.**

**This one is a bit weird though, because I had the chapters after it written first. The result being this one was done a bit on the fly. We will see where it takes us, I guess.**

**Dedication: To all my reviewers. **

**Music you should listen to: **_**Realize**_** and **_**The Little Things**_** by Colbie Caillat. /shrugs/ It makes me think of Hr/G.**

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The Beast Within, Chapter 4:

Strength

By Melissa

Despite begging off her friends concerns, Hermione had been feeling different lately. Sights were clearer, sounds were crisper, smells more powerful. She felt, and was, physically stronger despite not playing a day of sports in her life or taking it up recently.

Besides the physical attributes, she also felt stronger in her heart and soul. Like the meekness had been swept under a rug. Granted, she had changed a lot since first year, but she felt she had changed more in just a few weeks than in the past five years.

Ginny had been very sweet, being concerned about her. As far as Hermione could see, there was nothing to be concerned about. She liked the way she felt. It was….empowering.

Whenever she was near the youngest Weasley, Hermione found herself watching the young girl again, much in the way she had in the library. Taking in every aspect of her appearance. The different color strands of red that made up her gorgeous hair. The freckles, both dark and light that dotted her features. The smell of the soap and powder she used.

When she wasn't physically around the girl, Hermione would often daydream about her. It made classes more interesting, that is for certain. She had also been finding herself with an unnatural amount of energy during the nighttime. In the dead of night, Hermione would often sneak into Ginny's dorm room and watch her sleep for hours on end. Nothing else, just observing the slow rising and falling of her chest and she breathed. And the slight expressions on her face, depending on what type of dreams she was having. It never really registered just how clearly Hermione could see Ginny even though there was practically no light whatsoever.

The other reason Hermione watched Ginny while she slept was to make sure she was safe. Lately, whenever she would sleep and dream, the older girl would have nightmares about Ginny dying. Usually they were beyond horrible, the young redhead being torn apart by some ferocious animal. Blood, there was just so much blood. She had had similar dreams about Harry and Ron as well, but by far the majority involved Ginny. They were only dreams, she rationalized, but Hermione still couldn't shake the urge to make sure her friend was okay.

When the dawn began to break, Hermione would go back to her room before starting her daily routine.

At the breakfast table, Hermione stared at Ginny, rather unabashedly. Ginny looked up from her porridge because she felt someone's eyes on her. She smiled at her friend.

"How did you sleep?" she asked the older girl.

Hermione blinked, the words bringing her out of a sort of trance. "Truthfully, I didn't sleep all that much."

"Oh? Couldn't get to sleep? Or did you have a nightmare?"

'You could say that,' Hermione thought as she nodded.

Ginny smirked slightly, noticing her friend hadn't indicated one or the other. "Which is it?"

"It doesn't really matter," Hermione waved her hand dismissively.

"You need your rest, 'Mione. You should go to bed early tonight, catch up on it," her friend suggested. "If you want, I'll keep you company until you fall asleep. Sometimes it helps when you know someone is watching over you."

While this was a purely innocent gesture, it made Hermione swallow hard.

Ginny looked at her watch. "Damn, time for class all ready." She got up from the table. "See you after?"

"Sure," Hermione answered, somewhat numbly.

The day's classes were fairly benign. The last one of the day had just ended and both were looking for some much needed downtime. Hermione had managed to put out of her mind the nervousness she felt having Ginny watch her while she slept. They were chatting amicably about their days, turned a corner and ended up walking past Draco Malfoy and his cronies.

Draco sneered. "Oh look, if it isn't a Blood Traitor and a Mudblood." Crabbe and Goyle sniggered at his remark.

"Sod off," Ginny cursed at him. She was in no mood to deal with Malfoy.

Hermione stopped in her tracks, turned and smiled at Draco, if you could even call it that. The gesture certainly wasn't a pleasant one. Usually the girl would have just ignored him, but she decided not to let this one go.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"What's the matter, _Mudblood_? Are you losing your hearing now too?"

Ginny blinked and Hermione was no longer by her side. Instead, she had Draco by his robes and had slammed him against the stone wall.

"No, I am not losing my hearing." She drawled, mocking Draco. "I just wanted to see if you had the spine to actually say it again." Hermione's bared her teeth, blazing white. Her canines were looking a little bit more pointed than usual.

Draco was in shock. He struggled against Hermione's grip, but she held him fast.

"L-Let me go." His voice had been sucked dry of its usual bravado, and had cracked slightly.

"Or you'll do what exactly?" Hermione slammed him against the wall again for effect.

She turned her head and stared at Crabbe and Goyle. They stood stock still, frozen in surprise and more than a bit of fear.

Ginny was in shock. Not only was she witnessing the impossible, she was also thoroughly enjoying it. It's about time that blonde haired idiot got a taste of his own medicine. She would have given up Honeydukes for a year to have Harry and Ron here to see this.

Draco fumbled for his wand but Hermione was one step ahead of him. She took it from his robes and flung it down the hallway. It clattered far away from them.

Hermione cocked her head to the side and studied her 'prey.' "You're a pathetic excuse for a wizard, Malfoy, nay, a human being. Truly a waste of space. You hide behind your father's name and have your minions do your bidding. Why don't you grow a pair and put your wand where your mouth is?"

Crabbe shook off his shock and charged at Hermione, meaning to grab her. She lashed out with her booted foot and caught him just below his kneecap. He howled and pain and fell, sitting on the floor. Hermione's wand appeared in the hand not holding Draco and had it digging into the fallen boy's neck.

A small crowd had been gathering, initially not knowing what was happening, and soon discovering that Gryffindor's resident bookworm was manhandling one of Sytherin's most notorious and his goons.

Ginny walked up to Hermione and put her hand on her arm. She was surprised on the amount of muscle she felt. Her forearm was like a rock. Hermione didn't talk her eyes off a very frightened looking Malfoy.

"Hermione…let them go," Ginny said quietly. The crowd was getting bigger, and that no doubt would draw teachers as well.

The brown haired girl wasn't too keen on that idea. She was having fun. Adrenaline and lack of sleep was helping fuel her. The last thing Malfoy had ever expected was for her to respond like this.

Ginny tried again. "Hermione, they're not worth detention, or getting expelled."

That did the trick. She snarled and threw Draco to the floor several feet away. An impossibly pale looking Malfoy scrambled to his feet and backed away. Apparently her brain still responded to the thought of getting thrown out of Hogwarts. She gave Crabbe a violent poke with her wand, causing him to fall backwards, still clutching his injured knee. Goyle had plastered himself to the wall, hoping to anyone that Hermione would not turn her attentions on him.

Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm and the crowd that gathered parted before them like the Red Sea.

Ginny needed a place they could hide for a while, so everyone could cool down. They rounded a corner and were confronted with a doorway. The Room of Requirement had shown up. The redhead grabbed the door handle and flung it open before pushing Hermione inside. She then slammed it shut, fairly safe in the assumption that no one would find them.

She turned on Hermione wildly. "Sweet mother of Godric Gryffindor, Hermione!!"

"What?" Hermione asked, almost innocently. She was examining the tip of her wand, as though touching Crabbe had infected it somehow.

Ginny shook her head and began pacing.

"I wasn't just going to stand there and allow him to call us those….things." Satisfied that the wand was not ruined, the brown haired girl returned it to her robes.

"Wands and stones, Hermione! They are just words! He said them to get a reaction, which you gladly gave to him."

"Perhaps. But I'll bet you knuts to donuts he wasn't expecting _that_ kind of reaction."

Ginny had to give her that one, but she wasn't going to back down. "If Snape had been there he would be calling for your expulsion!"

"But he wasn't, was he?" Hermione sighed slightly. "Ginny, nothing is going to happen. It will be a cold day in all the circles of hell before Malfoy and the two morons will admit a girl did anything to them. Especially a _mudblood_." She spat this last word.

Ginny walked over to her friend and placed a hand on either side of her face, forcing her to look her in the eyes.

"You. Are. Not. A. Mudblood." Ginny said, enunciating each syllable. "You have more power and talent than most purebloods I know. Don't call yourself that, ever again."

Hermione searched her friend's eyes, and saw no pity there, only conviction. She then became aware of how warm Ginny's hands felt against her face.

'_Kiss her_.' A small voice in each of their heads said.

Ginny removed her hands from Hermione's face and turned away from her. If she hadn't, she might have just done what that little voice had suggested.

Hermione blinked rapidly. The loss of contact left her face feeling cold.

"I'm sorry, Gin," the older girl said quietly. She hadn't meant to upset her friend. "I am just so tired. I don't know what came over me."

She stepped forward and laced her arms around Ginny's waist and hugged her from behind.

Ginny leaned backwards into the embrace. They stayed that way for an indeterminable amount of time, being one another's anchor.

"Do you think things have died down out there?" Hermione broke the silence of the room eventually.

"I doubt it, but we can't stay in here forever," Ginny replied. She could stay in Hermione's arms forever, if it were up to her.

"Well, it is the Room of Requirement. If we were required to, we probably could stay here forever."

Ginny smiled. "Yeah, but if we didn't show ourselves eventually Ron and Harry would have a heart attack, probably thinking we were kidnapped by Death Eaters or something."

Hermione laughed at this. And Ginny thought that is was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

The younger of the two disengaged herself from the embrace, even though every fiber of her being screamed not to. The girls grabbed their bags. Ginny opened the door and looked out into the corridor. No one was around so the two left the room and walked swiftly towards their tower.

* * *

_Later_

* * *

"I just heard the most outrageous, wild rumor," Ron said as he sat down in the common room near Ginny, who had several books open in front of her. "Some Hufflepuffs told me that Hermione was about to pummel Draco senseless today, and that she kneecapped Crabbe. I tell you, the way things get distorted around here is amazing. I mean, Hermione?? Let's be real."

Ginny barked out a laugh, but it wasn't humorous. "It's a shame it isn't a rumor."

"What?" Ron said. His little sister now had his undivided attention.

"I was with her. She slammed him against the wall a couple of times after he called her a Mudblood and yours truly a Blood Traitor. She kicked Crabbe in the knee and held her wand to his throat. It was really funny at first, but after a few minutes it looked like she was seriously going to hurt them."

The corner of Ron's mouth twitched up at the thought of Draco getting beaten up. "What stopped her?"

"I did. I didn't want her to get expelled. While I do enjoy Malfoy and his idiots coming to bodily harm, it wasn't worth throwing away all that Hermione has worked so hard for."

Ron's eyes were as big as saucers. "You're really serious, aren't you?"

Ginny looked at him with a sad expression. "Something is very wrong with Hermione, Ron. She denies it, and makes excuses, but I know something isn't right."

"Is that why you have half the library open in front of you?"

"Yes. I was hoping for some kind of answer but all I have is more questions." She picked up one of the books. "Polyjuice potion, Imperius curse, possession, vampirism, time travel, alternate universes, and about a dozen other possibilities could explain why she is acting the way she is." Ginny looked close to tears.

Ron placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Gin. We'll figure it out."

"I hope so," she replied.

* * *

_To Be Continued…. _

* * *

**A/N: Yes? No? Maybe so? Give me your thoughts. I crave them.**

**Quote: "Always tell the person you love that you love them because you never know when it will be your last chance."**


	5. Weakness

**A/N: I haven't had a burst of creativity like this in who knows how long. This is going to be interesting too, because it isn't really where I wanted to go with it. But as my muses go, so goes my nation. Not like I have much choice in the matter. If you guys really don't like it, I will rewrite it. And yes, so goes on the excruciatingly slow plot development. Once again, blame the muses. I'm in it for the long hall; I hope you guys will join me. You be pleased to know that I am going to attempt to make each successful chapter longer than the previous, if at all possible. Hey, you have to challenge yourself, no?**

**Songs You Should Listen To: Savin' Me and Far Away by Nickelback. **

_I know some things that you don't  
I've done things that you won't  
There's nothing like a trail of blood  
to find your way back home _– Life is Beautiful, Sixx: A.M.

* * *

The Beast Within, Part 5:

Weakness

By Melissa

Ginny followed Hermione up the stairs. Having been chosen as a Prefect did have its advantages, among which was a single bedroom. She had been sincere in her offer to watch over Hermione as she slept. She was finding that with each step they took her heart wanted to beat a little bit faster and harder.

Hermione had tried to talk her friend out of it. After the incident with Draco earlier and her profession about being so very tired in the Room of Requirement, there was no talking the young red head out of it. Neither had stayed long at dinner, due mostly to the whispering and staring. Everyone gave them a very wide berth in the hallways. Both had gone to the library for some much needed quiet. Despite the day's excitement, the head librarian would not stand for any noise in the sanctified confines of the place where the books lived. Hermione had wanted to finish her work, and hopefully give Ginny time to change her mind. The younger of the two sat by her friend, doing her own work, occasionally looking over and giving her friend a small smile. Sometimes just being in close proximity is all you need as a friend.

'She's really with you through thick and thin,' a voice in Hermione's head said.

Hermione had to smile at that. Ginny really was, there could be no doubt.

Once reaching the door, Hermione unlocked it and held it open for her companion.

The furnishings of the room were like its occupant, smart and sensible. There were several tall bookcases filled to capacity with both books and various magical items. The bed was practically dwarfed by a lovely desk in the corner, covered with parchment, ink, quills, and more books. Ginny wouldn't have expected anything else. If Hermione had to choose between a bed and a desk, well, she could just sleep on the floor. The large rug on the floor was dark red and gold, their House colors. Crookshanks lazily looked at the two before purring from a small cat bed in front of one of the bookcases.

"You remodeled a bit," Ginny said. It had been a while since Ginny had had cause to be in Hermione's room. The bookcases had gone to opposite walls and the bed had changed positions. On the bed, nestled in the numerous pillows was a small stuffed dragon Ginny had made Hermione for her last birthday.

"Yeah. Everyone needs a change every once in a while."

Ginny tried not to smirk. Change was not something she really associated with Hermione. She could set her watch by the girl's habits; they were so precise and punctual.

Ginny gave her a playful smile. "All right, you, enough stalling. Go get ready for bed."

'Damn,' Hermione thought. She grabbed her nightclothes and slipped out of the room towards the lavatory. The thought of undressing in front of Ginny was a bit more than she could handle at the moment.

When she had returned to her room, she noticed Ginny had pulled an armchair up next to the bed. She had her legs tucked under her and a book in her lap and was reading.

"Which one did you pick?" she queried. Hermione's collection of books, both magic and muggle, was extensive, and she was curious which one Gin had plumbed from their depths.

Ginny looked up, startled. "Make some noise, why don't you?? I didn't even hear you come in!" The older girl had given her quite a fright. It wasn't as if she was totally lost in the book.

Hermione tried to suppress a grin, and failed. She crossed over to her bed and crawled in, still waiting for an answer to her question. Ginny's cheeks were slightly pink, which was probably the most adorable thing Hermione had ever seen.

Gin closed the book but held her spot, looking at the cover. "James and the Giant Peach," she said at last.

The older girl smiled. That was one of her favorite books. Her father used to read it to her before she went to bed every night, a chapter at a time.

"Let me know when you get the parts with the centipede singing," Hermione said. Those were her favorite.

Ginny nodded. She had never read the book before, but the thought of a singing centipede did not faze her as much as one might think. "Lie down, you."

The older girl obeyed, helplessly. She moved so she was lying down against the cool sheets. If Ginny had asked her to jump into a volcano, she probably would have asked if she would prefer a jackknife dive or a cannonball.

Ginny stood up and tucked Hermione in. While doing so, she kissed her forehead. Her lips lingered probably a little longer than necessary, but there were certainly no complaints from either side.

Hermione's hands clutched her blankets, because otherwise they would be holding onto Ginny's head as she kissed her. Ginny settled back down in her chair, much to the disappointment to both parties.

"Go to sleep, Granger."

"Yes, ma'am." Hermione's eyes felt like they were being weighed down by cinder blocks. Her body was succumbing to utter exhaustion.

Ginny reached out a hand and slowly began to stroke Hermione's head and hair as she opened up the book and went back to reading. It wasn't long before the brown haired girl was blessedly unconscious.

This went on for a little while, Ginny unwilling to give up the feel of Hermione's hair. The wavy length was extremely soft, begging to be touched.

Eventually, Ginny marked her place in the book and just watched Hermione. The slow, methodical rising and falling of her chest and the way a few stray hairs would flutter with each exhalation of breath.

She was the most beautiful thing Ginny had ever been privileged enough to witness. Nothing magic held a candle to Hermione Granger.

It could have been the lateness of the hour, or having an exhausting day, but Ginny soon was dozing off; her head resting against the high back of the armchair. Her eyes moved slightly under her lids as she entered REM sleep.

* * *

Ginny's Dream:

_Ginny came down the stairs, ready to start her day. She saw Harry sitting in the common room; talking to a girl Ginny did not know. She walked over to say good morning._

"_Hey Harry, who's your frien……. _By The Founders_…you're Hermione!" Ginny gasped out, recognizing her friend. Or barely recognizing her._

_Hermione had rolled the waistband of her skirt up so the hem was now bordering on indecent. She had done away with her tie and vest, and her shirt was one button away from giving everyone around a free show. Her eyes stood out, having been expertly applied with mascara and eye shadow. Her lips were blood red and her hair was tied back in a severe ponytail._

_Ginny vaguely remembered seeing Hermione wear makeup only one other time, and that was when she went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum. But that was nothing like this. Ginny wondered what Krum would think if he could see Hermione now. No doubt it would make his wand stand at attention._

"_Hey Ginny," Hermione drawled, in a Draco-ish fashion. "Just the girl I wanted to see."_

"_Who? Me? What? Why??" Was all Ginny was able to come up with. She was still trying to wrap her mind around this new Hermione that stood before her. Hermione had always had a certain affect on the youngest Weasley, but now her heart was beating a little faster and her blood was running a little harder through her veins. And everywhere, it seems, besides her head._

_Hermione stalked towards her, like an animal that has spotted its prey. She certainly was acting very predatory._

_Ginny backed away until she bumped into the wall. Hermione stood mere inches from Ginny, her hands placed flat on the wall preventing any escape. She brought her face mere inches from the redhead's._

"_You. Me. Upstairs. Now."_

'_Well, that answers my questions,' Ginny thought to herself. A small part of her really did want to go upstairs with Hermione. Another part of her was afraid to._

_Hermione grabbed Ginny's hand and started for the stairs. Ginny turned and looked at Harry, whose jaw had hit the floor, with a look of surprise and a bit of fear. _

_Hermione led them into her room. Once inside she locked the door. This was slightly disconcerting to Ginny because she wasn't entirely sure if Hermione didn't want anyone coming in, or if she didn't want Ginny getting out._

_Hermione smiled at the younger girl. But then, she detected something in the air. Besides that sweet scent of her friend. It was fear._

"_Are you scared of me, Ginny?"_

"_No," Ginny pseudo lied. "I'm just not sure what to make of you lately."_

"_What if I told you that I like the new me. It's freeing…it's empowering. Don't you like it?"_

_Ginny wasn't sure what to say. She was certainly attracted to Hermione, and she did look sexy as all hell. But Ginny had developed feelings for the older girl way before these changes Hermione had undergone. _

_Hermione moved closer to the red head. Ginny's response was to back up, so much so that she eventually bumped into the older girl's bed. The edge behind her knees forced her to fall backwards onto the mattress. She scrambled backwards on the bed, still trying to put distance between her and Hermione._

_The older girl crawled onto the bed, next to Ginny, who was in a pseudo laying/propped up position. While kneeling, she put her hands just above the tops of Ginny's shoulders against the mattress, and leaned over her. _

_Ginny's heart was like a fluttering bird trying to break out of her ribcage as she looked up into brown eyes. While she longed to look elsewhere, she didn't._

"_Gin….," Hermione practically purred. "Why don't we stop this dance? You want me." The last part was a statement, not a question. Hermione could sense the girl's desire for her in their interactions. The way her heart raced, the adrenaline flowing, her scent. Everything. _

_She was right, of course. But Ginny was unable to speak._

"_And I want you. The old me was too much of a coward to say anything." Hermione licked her own lips and Ginny thought she just might pass out._

_This wasn't how Ginny envisioned Hermione acting when she told her how she felt. Especially when it seemed she already knew. And the younger girl didn't have the slightest idea that Hermione actually felt the same way. At least in the physical aspect._

_As quickly as Hermione had cornered her, suddenly she was no longer above Ginny. The younger girl struggled to sit up._

_As Hermione walked away from the bed, Ginny propped herself up. She thought she caught something peeking out just above the waist of Hermione's skirt._

"_Is that a tattoo??" Ginny tried to cover up the break in her voice and failed miserably._

"_Maybe." Hermione threw her a wink. "Let me know if you want to see it." And then she was gone._

* * *

Not far away from the dozing red head, Hermione was also dreaming, but of another variety entirely.

* * *

Hermione's Dream

_The fall weather brought cooler nights, but Hermione did not feel affected by it in the slightest. If nothing, it brought some relief to the constant heat that seemed to always be rolling off her body._

_She walked through the school grounds, the moon shining brightly overhead. Her heartbeat was steady; there wasn't the slightest bit of nervousness or fear. _

_She could hear a heartbeat, though it was not her own. This one was trip hammering. She felt her own, strong and with purpose. It beat in time with her footsteps. Something was pulling her in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. Definitely a force she could not ignore._

_The edge of the forest loomed and looked foreboding, just as it always had. Unlike last time though, Hermione strode in without a second thought or care._

_She came to a break in the trees, near where her ill fated trip for fluxweed occurred. _

_Ginny was in the clearing, holding her hand gingerly. When Hermione reached her, she cocked her head to the side in curiosity._

"_I fell," Ginny said. The palm of her hand had a deep cut that was slowly weeping blood._

_The older girl probably should have been wondering why the younger girl was in the forest. Somehow it never even crossed her mind. Hermione took Ginny's hand in hers, gently rubbing the flesh, not too close to the wound. The blood pooled in the center from the injury, and she brought the hand to her mouth and gave it a long, slow lick. She swallowed the thick liquid and her head swam. She wanted more. She needed more._

'_It's Ginny!!' Her brain screamed. She wasn't listening to it though. She loved the redhead, and also wanted to consume her in every possible way; mind, soul and body. _

_She took Ginny in her arms, attempting to quiet her whimpers with soothing sounds. "Don't be afraid," she said quietly. "It will only hurt for a moment."_

"_Wha…." was all Ginny could get out before Hermione's sharp teeth sunk deep into the side of her neck._

_The font of dark blood was beautiful as it was macabre._

_Ginny's heartbeat went from strong to fast as her adrenaline kicked in, triggering the fight or flight response. Soon it went to thready as her blood pressure began to fall, rapidly. She couldn't break Hermione's grip on her. Part of her didn't really want to._

_Hermione clutched the redhead to her, her finger nails ripping through the back of her shirt. Feasting off the very essence of her life. _

_Somewhere around them, a cold, cruel laugh echoed in her ears._

* * *

Ginny wore a look of shock as she dozed, wondering if there was even the slightest chance that Hermione felt the same as she did.

Tears threatened at the corners of Hermione's closed eyes, perhaps wondering if she was becoming the monster in her dreams.

* * *

_To Be Continued…._

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know. It would have been so much easier for them to have the same dream. /grins/ You guys should totally read 'James and the Giant Peach' if you haven't. The Disney movie doesn't hold a candle and didn't do it justice. Let me know what you think. Until next time.**

**Quotes: "One day, you look at the person and see more than you did the day before, like a switch was flickered somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is suddenly the only person you can imagine yourself with." – X-Files**

**"So dear I love her that with her, all deaths, I could endure. Without her, live no life."**


	6. Torn

**A/N: This is almost the last of the stuff I had previously written and just fleshed out. It will be interesting to see what I can come up with from here on. I am going to try and make this my longest story, word wise. I have a ways to go, seeing as the first fic I published here was over 26K words. With this chapter though, this story will move into second place. : ) **

**Music you should listen to: Everything by Lifehouse.**

_You take the breath right out of me.  
You left a hole where my heart should be.  
You got to fight just to make it through,  
'Cause I will be the death of you._ – Breathe, Breaking Benjamin

* * *

The Beast Within, Chapter 6:

Torn

By Melissa

Ginny slowly woke from her dream, though she didn't really want to. She was still pseudo curled in the armchair. Rolling her slightly stiff neck she looked at Hermione. The older girl's brow was creased, eyes moving rapidly under closed lids, the bed sheets twisted and mangled around her, and she seemed to be trembling.

Ginny frowned slightly. Whatever the dream her friend was having, it didn't appear to be a pleasant one.

She got up from her chair and crawled into the large bed with her friend. She moved as close to the girl as she could, putting her arm over her midsection and hugging her to her. Upon this happening, Hermione's breathing became a little less ragged and the trembling began to slow. Gin wondered what could be affecting her friend so. Hermione Granger was not one to be frightened so easily.

"Don't be afraid," Ginny whispered to the one she loved. "I'm here."

For all intents and purposes, it appeared as if Hermione had heard her, even if she wasn't awake.

Once Hermione had calmed sufficiently, only then did Ginny close her eyes. Giving herself over to sleep.

In the morning, Hermione opened her eyes and soon realized she was not alone in her bed. Ginny had joined her and was snoozing, curled into her side. The older girl smiled slightly, and picked up her arm on the opposite side of Ginny and laid it on top of red head's forearm across her middle. The warmth was comforting, soothing. Much as it had been the night in the Medical Wing.

The brown haired girl stared at her ceiling for an unknown amount of time. She knew if she turned to face Ginny, she would be kissing her forehead, or cheeks, or lips, or any number of other places.

"Hey," a soft voice says, breaking the silence of the room.

Hermione's eyes slowly moved towards the voice, though her head stayed in the same place. Ginny is staring at her profile.

"Hey, Gin." In her head it had come out more like 'stay forever.'

"How was your night?" The youngest Weasley asked with concern.

Despite the early nightmare, the rest of the night had been blessedly dream free. She had managed to obtain a little bit of rest, certainly more than she had been getting lately.

"Better than most I've had recently."

Ginny still contemplated her friend. "You looked at one point like you were having a nightmare."

Hermione made a slight noise in the back in her throat. She could just imagine what she looked like, because in her mind it was horrifying.

"Do you remember what it was about?" The younger girl queried.

She shrugged, or as much as she could in the position they were in. "Not really," the older girl lied. She didn't want to lie to Ginny, but she couldn't very well tell her the truth. That she often died, and Hermione was usually the cause.

Ginny wasn't entirely convinced that Hermione was being truthful, but she wasn't going to push her.

"As long as you got some rest."

Hermione nodded, and slowly began to disentangle herself from the red head. In reality, she could have stayed like that for all time, but they had to get up at some point.

Ginny took her arm back and watched the older girl get out of the bed and stretch. Her nightshirt creeped up slightly as her arms extended over her head, revealing a couple inches of skin. Something tugged at Ginny's memory.

"'Mione?" Ginny rarely shortened Hermione's name, and only when they were alone.

"Yeah?"

Ginny paused, not sure how to go about asking her question. "Do you have a tattoo?"

Hermione's left eyebrow rose while the right one stayed firmly in place. The young girl blushed a slight shade of pink.

"No," Hermione said slowly, rolling the word around in her mouth. "Ironically, I was pondering getting one. Perhaps a lion on my shoulder blade, or on the small of my back. I know that I haven't mentioned it to anyone. What made you ask that?"

Ginny was trying to look anywhere but those beautiful brown eyes. "I don't know. I had a…dream. Last night. And in it you had a tattoo."

"Really? What was it of?"

Ginny swallowed, thinking back to her dream. "I'm not sure. I didn't get a good look at it." Which was the truth, though she desperately wished she had.

"Huh," Hermione replied. "That's odd. I'm sure I would have let you see it."

'Like you have no idea,' Ginny thought to herself, trying not to let her mind wander.

Hermione gave a small smile to her friend, who was still lounging in her bed, looking incredibly irresistible.

"Hey Gin?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks….for staying with me last night." Hermione felt embarrassed, though she wasn't really sure why.

Ginny simply nodded. "Anytime."

* * *

A little bit of time passed relatively without incident. The dreams didn't stay at bay for long and would return to haunt Hermione. As a result she fell back into the habit of not sleeping. Even those times when she awoke and discovered Ginny was indeed okay, she was afraid it would be the last time the girl she loved above all else would be alright. And in one piece.

She couldn't ask Ginny to stay with her every night. No matter how she longed to. And for decidedly not always as 'just friends,' reasons.

Hermione was also getting thinner, though she was eating. She had a ravenous appetite at every meal, but it seemed no matter how much food she put away, she was still losing weight.

"Maybe she's sick?" Neville asked while sitting in the common room with his friends.

Ginny shook her head. "Not with anything magical. When Professor Flitwick sent her to the Medical Wing the other day for falling asleep in class, Madam Pomfrey didn't find anything wrong with her. Other than the fact she is not sleeping properly and is outrageously thin. She gave her a potion to help her sleep though."

"Something muggle then," Ron suggested.

Harry shrugged. "Could be. Judging by the fight she put up about being sent to the Medical Wing, I doubt she will go to a muggle doctor."

From the portrait hole Hermione suddenly appeared from outside the tower, and everyone in the room instantly shut up. She gave them an odd look, shrugged, and headed for the stairs.

"Maybe I'll owl her parents," Ginny said once Hermione was seemingly out of earshot. "I doubt she'll defy them if they want her to go to a doctor."

Harry smirked. "Maybe we should owl _your_ parents. I would rather take on ten death eaters than go in defiance of Molly."

Ron scoffed. "Just ten?? I'd rather take on twenty, plus the Dark Lord."

Everyone laughed at that. Molly Weasley was a loving, but formidable, mother. To say the least. And mothers were not to be trifled with, with either their own children or children they happen to care about as if they were their own.

"Let's keep an eye on her for the rest of day. If there isn't a marked improvement, I'll go to Dumbledore," Harry said once the laughter had died down. "Not even Hermione will ignore the Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the semi meeting broke up as everyone went their different ways.

Ron and Harry kept tabs on her in the classes that they shared. Neville peaked at her while in the library, often asking her for help, which was not entirely a cover. Ginny kept her company in the common room in between and after classes. Whenever any of the group of watchers would pass each other, they would shake their heads. Their friend was not improving. If anything, she was getting worse.

As darkness fell, there was much chatter about the Quidditch match that was taking place that evening. Slytherin was taking on Ravenclaw in a night game. You would be hard pressed to find a Gryffindor that was not going to be cheering for Ravenclaw.

The two girls eventually went down to dinner, and sat near the boys as always. Hermione was not acting as she had been recently. Instead of being ravenously hungry, it was the complete opposite. The thought of any food was making her extremely nauseous. She had taken a few small sips of pumpkin juice but had barely kept even that down. Which was certainly a change, because normally she would have been on her fourth or fifth helping of some sort of animal carcass.

Not staying long, she got up and decided to head to her room. She was looking forward to being blessedly unconscious, even if that brought with it the horrid dreams. With as horrible as she felt physically, she thought that nightmares were the lesser of the evils.

Ginny had barely touched her food as well, as she watched Hermione leave. She looked at Ron and Harry and all three got up together to follow their friend.

Hermione swung the door shut behind her, but it never hit the frame. Ginny had caught it because it had a chance too.

The older girl turned around and was surprised to see her friends standing just inside her room, as Ron closed the door behind them.

"Hi guys…." Hermione trailed off, not sure why her friends had followed her.

"We need to talk." Harry was in no nonsense mode.

Hermione frowned, not sure what was so urgent. "Can it wait? I haven't been feeling all that well."

"We've noticed," Ron said, voice not a little sarcastic. "In fact, as far as we can tell, you are getting worse and refusing to get help!"

Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. They were being rather adamant about her feeling a little under the weather.

"Seriously guys, it's nothing."

Ron rolled his eyes and Hermione narrowed hers. Ginny saw this and stepped in front of Ron. She had often felt like hitting her brother, but Hermione was looking like she might actually do it.

Sudden, horrible pain lanced Hermione's middle and she cried out in pain. The other three were startled by this.

Ginny couldn't take it any more. "Hermione, _what is going on_??"

Hermione scoffed. "What is this? An intervention?"

Ron and Ginny flicked their eyes to Harry, not understanding.

"An intervention is when friends and family confront a person about a problem, in order to try and help them," Harry explained. "They are commonly associated with muggles who abuse drugs or alcohol, and don't believe they have a problem."

"Merlin! You're on drugs!" Ron exclaimed.

"I am not," Hermione said, indignantly. "I would never do drugs."

Harry gazed at her very gaunt looking appearance. Hermione grabbed her midsection again and grimaced in pain. Harry wondered if maybe Ron could be right, despite Hermione saying otherwise.

Harry cocked an eyebrow at her. "Maybe she isn't Hermione. Maybe a person is using a polyjuice potion. Or someone is using the Imperius curse on her."

"Can't be," said Ron. "At least it isn't a polyjuice potion. We've been watching her all day and I've only seen her drink something at dinner. And even then it was out of a pitcher everyone at the table was using."

"Something is obviously not…" Ginny began, but was cut off by the object of her affection.

Hermione snarled, accompanied by a throaty growl. "Get. Out. Of. Here." She bit off each word and her tone brooked no argument.

The Boy Who Lived and the red headed siblings backed up a few paces, but did not leave the room.

"What do we do?" Ginny whispered to Harry and Ron. Harry just shook his head, fingering his wand inside the sleeve of his robe. He was not sure if he could bring himself to stun one of his best friends. Ginny looked to Ron for a suggestion, but he merely stood there, his jaw hanging open and the color very quickly draining from his face.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"Uhm….tail." Ron managed to squeak out.

"What?" Harry and Ginny said together.

"Tail," Ron repeated, and pointed. His finger was shaking visibly.

Ginny and Harry turned to look what Ron was gesturing at. And then they understood why he was so frightened. Hermione had grown a tail, a bushy one covered by silverish/grey hair. Before their eyes the rest of her body also began sprouting hair, her clothes ripping at the seams as she transformed. Her face grew into a feral muzzle, filled with many sharp teeth. The fur on the back of the head had a brownish tinge to it, probably reminiscent to Hermione's own hair. Her ears became pointed and laid flat against the top of her head as she screamed in obvious pain. The scream soon turned into a howl. Mere moments later, a very imposing looking werewolf stood where Hermione had just been.

"I think I know what attacked Hermione in the forest," Ron said, his voice cracking.

"You think??" Ginny shot back. She should have known. They all should have.

Hermione, or the werewolf formerly known as Hermione, was impressive looking. Her body was more lithe than an actual wolf, and she stood on her hind legs. She still had 5 digits on her hands and feet, each of which was sporting a lethal looking claw. Her underbelly was whitish silver, and the top was a darker grey with silver The tail was twitching.

The sound of young girl's voice seemed to bring the werewolf out of its painful trance. It looked at them with glowing, hungry eyes. And then it advanced. Teeth bared and claws ready to strike.

"Run!" Harry yelled.

The three of them of them made it out the door and slammed it shut. Harry quickly locked the door and he, Ginny and Ron pressed their backs against the wood. The werewolf slammed against it, making all sorts of unearthly noises. Seconds later, it hit the door again, obviously not happy about being contained, or losing its dinner. Upon the third time, they all heard the wood of the door beginning to splinter.

"What do we do??" Ginny voiced what they were all thinking.

**/Bam!/**

"Go far away?" Ron asked hopefully.

**/Bam!/**

Ginny would have smacked him upside the head had she not been using all of her strength to press against the door.

"Ron," Harry hissed through gritted teeth, "that's Hermione in there!"

**/Bam!/**

"Yeah, well, Hermione wants to eat us," Ron shot back. "We need to think of something quick before this door turns into kindling and she makes us into werewolf treats."

They braced themselves for another impact, which seemed a long time in coming. But it never came.

"Maybe she calmed down," Ron said hopefully.

"Maybe she's lying low, waiting to see if we will open the door for her," Ginny countered.

"Wait…isn't there a large window in there?" Harry pressed his ear to the door as he said this. He couldn't hear anything from the other side.

"There are windows in all the dorm rooms. Why?"

"Because glass is easier to break than wood." Harry withdrew his wand.

The Weasleys did the same. Harry counted to three, unlocked the door with an 'alohomora' and pushed it open violently.

Much to their horror, or perhaps relief, the room was empty. The obviously broken window was now letting in the cool night's air.

"Damn. Where do you think she is headed?" Ron asked.

Ginny went over to the window and peered out into the night. She saw lights illuminating the Quidditch pitch. And a silver blur under the full moon was streaking its way towards it.

"How about to an all you can eat werewolf buffet?" There was no trace of humor in her voice.

"Huh?" the two boys asked.

"The Slytherin/Ravenclaw match looks like it just started."

Harry swore loudly, joining Ginny at the window. "I'll probably never say this again, but I hope Malfoy gets the snitch. Really, really soon."

Ginny and Ron nodded in agreement, willing to let Slytherin gain a few more points for their team instead of a having a massacre.

Someone needed to take control of this situation. "Get your brooms," Ginny said, with an air of command in her voice. "You two need to get to the pitch as quickly as possible, especially since she has a head start on us."

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

"I'm going to get Hagrid. He specializes in care of magical creatures, after all. I'm just hoping he has some silver."

"Why?" Ron asked, dubious to the fact that he had once written a very long essay for Snape on the subject of werewolves.

Ginny sighed. "Silver has many magical properties. Vampires do not have a reflection in mirrors that contain silver. It is also used to kill werewolves…."

"You are not saying what I think you are saying!" Harry seethed as he cut her off. "We are not killing Hermione!"

Ginny stopped and turned to face Harry. "If you would let me finish," she said, her tone cool. "If Hagrid has silver, a cup or whatever, I can transfigure it into chains. Hermione may be strong now, but no werewolf can break out of silver chains." She stopped and took a deep breath. "We just have to keep her incapacitated until morning. Then we can procure some Wolfsbane potion to keep her calm for the next few nights." Ginny suddenly felt very weary. "And just for the record, in no way did it ever enter into my mind that we should kill her." Her voice then dropped to a whisper. "She's still my…She's still Hermione. There's no way I could."

Harry's expression softened a bit. He felt bad about jumping down the youngest Weasley's throat.

"And Hagrid is the only one who can get near enough to put the chains on her."

"What about stunning her?" Ron asked.

"Werewolves are tricky that way. You can't stun them with a single blast, or even several. However, if you use too many all at once it will kill them." Harry said.

"And there are those who wouldn't mind seeing a werewolf dead," Ron muttered.

"Snape," Ginny said sourly.

"We'll discuss this later. Right now we have to keep her from killing anyone and in the process protect her from getting killed herself. C'mon, Ron, let's go." Harry and Ron disappeared quickly to get their brooms.

Ginny stayed a moment longer to stare out the window, closing her eyes and mentally kicking herself for many reasons.

She wasn't going to forgive herself if anything happened to Hermione.

* * *

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

**A/N: Methinks there will be some action around the corner. We'll see how that goes, as it is not my usual area of writing. I was really torn as to whether to make Hermione a werewolf, a weretiger, or a vampire. Werewolf won : ) Until next time, guys.**

**Quotes: ****"The future is neither ahead nor behind, on one side or another. Nor is it dark or light. It is contained within ourselves; its evil and good are perpetually within us." - Loren Eiseley**

"**In the story of your life may you write the very best book you can. Have pages on understanding and tales of overcoming hardships, fill your story with romance, adventure, poetry and laughter. Make each chapter reflect time well spent."**


	7. Regret

**A/N: Isn't it sad that I already have ideas for a sequel to this story, and I'm not even done writing it yet? I've been including lyrics at the beginning because I find music a big inspiration. Plus I used to write primarily song fics. Anyway...Time for some filler!! Don't worry, it is all pertinent. Sorry it is short though. I need more time for the action sequences, hence they will be another chapter. **

**Music you should listen to: Mississippi by Train**

_Find Me Here  
Speak To Me  
I want to feel you  
I need to hear you  
You are the light  
That's leading me  
To the place where I find peace again. – Everything, Lifehouse_

The Beast Within, Part 7:

Regret

By Melissa

The full moon shown brightly overhead and a being at the edge of the Forbidden Forest smiled sinisterly.

"Delicious."

He no longer feared the change, in fact, he looked forward to it. He shed his tattered clothes and they pooled around his feet on the grass.

"I'll finally have a companion," he said to no one but himself. It had really been a stroke of pure luck when the girl had willingly entered the forest. He had had his eye on her for quite some time, but an opportunity had never presented itself. However, the night she had gone into his domain, it was as if she had been gift wrapped especially for him. If it hadn't been for that stupid unicorn, he would have kept her in the forest with him. And they could have stayed together. Forever.

That was alright though. He would just have to go and fetch her now. And perhaps have some fun in the process, as it seemed that the children were out tonight enjoying a sporting event. He wanted to be with her for her first kill. Savor it with her.

He began to transform into a werewolf. He was larger, more muscular than his female counterpart. His fur was also very dark grey, bordering on black. Yellow, feral eyes adjusted to darkness of the night and the light of the moon.

Upon completion, he took a deep breath and howled. The noise was ripped out of the very depths of his dark soul.

He smiled, and took off full tilt towards the Quidditch pitch.

It was going to be one hell of a night.

_Elsewhere_

Ginny ran to grab her broom to make the trip to Hagrid's as short as possible. Her boots skidded across the slick floor of the locker room. Her breathing was ragged and the adrenaline was the only thing pumping through her veins. She was convinced that all the blood in her body was pooling in her heart, and that it would burst if anything bad happened to the girl she loved.

As she mounted the broom, she thought about the last time she had flown, Quidditch notwithstanding.

* * *

**Flashback**

* * *

_Ginny rubbed the feather end of her quill against her cheek as she contemplated her homework. Her mind was really anywhere but. Slowly her eyes strayed to from her text and papers to the corner of the common room. Curled up in one of the arm chairs was Hermione, with a rather large book in her lap. Ginny smiled to herself at the sight of her friend. If the older girl could have gotten away with living in the library, she probably would have. She was always reading, expanding that already immense amount of knowledge she possessed. _

"_What are you working on?"_

_The melodious sound of that particular voice broke Ginny out of her reverie._

"_Huh?" 'Good job Weasley. Way to be eloquent.' She thought to herself and mentally rolled her eyes.._

_Hermione uncurled herself from the confines of the chair and walked over. "You were smiling. So I know it can't be Potions."_

"_This is most certainly true."_

_The older girl stood behind Ginny and leaned over. Her chin came to rest on the top of Ginny's shoulder. It took of all the red head's will power not to turn her face towards Hermione's. If she had, she definitely would have kissed her on the cheek. Or the corner of her mouth. _

_Hermione was reading what Ginny had written, occasionally making small corrections. _

"_What were you reading over there?" If Ginny didn't occupy her mind, she would surely snog Hermione senseless. _

"'_Hogwarts: A History.'"_

_A russet colored eyebrow arched. "Again?"_

_Hermione looked at her friend from her position still on her shoulder. "What? It's the newest edition!"_

_The younger girl smirked._

"_Do I amuse you?" There was a twinkle in her eye as she said this._

"_A little," the youngest Weasley answered._

_Hermione tried not to smile but failed miserably. _

"_Come here." She held out her hand._

"_Where?" Ginny asked curiously. _

"_Since you find my reading habits so amusing, I'm going to read some of the HaH to you."_

_Ginny made a noise in the back of her throat. "Couldn't you just send me to detention with Snape? That would be less painful."_

_Hermione took Ginny's hand and helped her stand before leading her over to the chair. She ignored the jab. _

_The brown haired girl climbed in the chair and patted the seat next to her. Ginny gulped slightly. They were going to be awfully close in that chair together. Hermione must have noticed the hesitation, because her eyebrows knitted together in confusion._

_Ginny hesitated for only a second more before she climbed in, her misgivings about being so close to the object of her affection put aside. She couldn't bring herself to hurt Hermione's feelings, even in the slightest way. They got themselves situated, this time Ginny with her head on Hermione's shoulder, and her legs over her lap, propping up the book. _

_The older girl opened the book and flipped to a particular chapter. _

"_Quidditch Through The Years: A Look At House Dynasties."_

_Ginny was beaming now. She thought for sure Hermione was going to bore her to sleep. Instead she got to hear about the different house dynasties over the history of their school. Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor all had their successes and failures. Close matches to complete blowouts. One match in 1519 was of particular interest. Gryffindor won on some phenomenal play by their chasers to keep then close and then their seeker caught the snitch. Being a chaser, Ginny enjoyed hearing about her position playing well._

_Hermione grinned as she finished the tale. "See? This book isn't as horrible as everyone thinks."_

"_All right," Ginny acquiesced. "Since you managed to change my mind about it, now it's my turn to change your mind about something." The girl began to extricate herself from her friend and the chair._

"_Where are we going?"_

"_Outside. Come on."_

_They both got up and grabbed light jackets, with dark red and gold on the edges, signifying their House. The days had been gorgeous weather but the evenings could get a little cool._

_Ginny lead the way down to the Quidditch pitch. She went into the locker room as Hermione took a seat on the grass. She assumed she was going to watch Ginny get in some flying practice. The red head soon emerged with a broom._

"_What are you going to change my mind about? Quidditch? Because it just isn't my thing."_

"_No. I'm going to take you for a ride." The instant the words were out of Ginny's mouth she mentally began kicking herself. "…on the broom," she added hastily._

_The small grin that had graced Hermione's features vanished. She did not like flying, not one bit. _

"_I don't think so, Gin."_

"_C'mon 'Mione," the red head pouted, "don't you trust me?"_

"_Of course I trust you. I don't trust gravity."_

_Ginny mounted the broom and it was now her turn to give Hermione a slightly confused look._

"_No tricks, I promise. We won't even go that high."_

_Hermione sighed. She couldn't say no to Ginny. She walked over and mounted the broom in front of her friend. Ginny placed her arms around Hermione's sides and gripped the broom right in front of her._

"_You didn't by any chance cast the Imperius curse on me, did you? Because I can't believe I'm about to do this."_

_Ginny laughed. "You're under my spell, Miss Granger."_

"_No kidding," Hermione muttered to herself. Ginny did not hear her._

"_Ready?"_

"_No."_

_Ginny smiled and leaned close so that her mouth was right by Hermione's ear. "Well, at least you're honest." And with that, Ginny kicked them off the ground and into the air._

_Hermione shut her eyes tightly and had a death grip on the broom handle. She rather concentrated on the fact that Ginny was practically spooning around her. _

_It was a little more difficult to control the broom sitting behind her companion, but Ginny did not want Hermione to feel like she would fall off the back. True to her word, she leveled them off about 15 feet. The direction had taken them towards the lake so that they were skirting the edge of it._

"_Open your eyes, 'Mione." _

"_I'm good. Thanks."_

_Ginny slid her one hand up the broom handle so that it touched Hermione's. Her hands were cold and also trembling. _

"_I've got you." This was said so quietly, Ginny wasn't sure if she had said it outside the confines of her head. She did though, and Hermione had just barely heard her._

_Placing one hand on top of Ginny's, she gripped it tight and cracked open one eye. They were by the lake, and thankfully there had been no venturing out over the water. She opened her other eye to take in the sight. It was really beautiful, the way the setting sun played off the lake. The occasional creature would break the surface in a jump, causing ripples. Hermione momentarily forgot her fear, as long as she didn't look down, and leaned back slightly into Ginny. _

"_Beautiful," the older girl whispered._

"_Yeah," Ginny replied, though she was not talking about the sunset._

_They stayed that way for a little while, just hovering in the air, enjoying the close proximity of each other. Ginny turned her head and laid it on Hermione's upper back. Since they were hovering she let go of the broom with one hand and laced it around the older girl's waist. Ginny felt tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. She felt slightly guilty about holding Hermione like this, when they were just friends. But it felt so good. _

"_Ready to get back to earth?"_

"_I guess," Hermione replied. She had forgotten all about being up high and was solely concerned with being so close to the girl she secretly loved._

_After they landed, Hermione dismounted the broom. Giving Ginny a huge grin, she fell to the ground in an exaggerated fashion and hugged the grass. "Earth!! Sweet Mother Earth." she cried out._

"_Oh ha-ha. I knew I should have flown out over the lake. Really, really high. Or perhaps even the Wronski feint." _

_Hermione laughed as she grabbed Ginny's offered hand to help her stand once again. The swift motion caused Hermione to fall into her friend, in a pseudo embrace. _

_Where each felt she belonged._

* * *

**End Flashback**

* * *

The flight to Hagrid's was short, thank the stars. Ginny hopped off her broom and pounded on the hut door with all of her might.

A crash could be heard from inside. Moments later Hagrid opened the door, crossbow in hand, which was now leveled directly at Ginny's head.

"Ginny! You nearly gave me a 'eart attack, beatin' on the door like tha'. Wha's the trouble?" Hagrid pointed the crossbow up.

Ginny brushed past him. "Hagrid, we don't have much time. Do you have anything made out of silver?"

"Um, yeah. A mug I won off a goblin playing dice once. Whaddaya need silver fer?" Hagrid asked as he ambled over to a high shelf to retrieve the item in question.

"I need to make chains to hold Hermione."

Hagrid had just placed the mug on the table and his eyebrows shot up and disappeared beneath his hairline. "Wha?" he asked, being sure he couldn't have heard right.

"Remember when Hermione was attacked at the edge of the forest? Well, we know what attacked her. Hermione is a werewolf. She turned into one right before our eyes this evening. And now she is on the way to the Quidditch match."

Hagrid stood stock still as Ginny withdrew her wand. She tapped the mug a few times while muttering a complicated incantation. The mug transfigured into a long length of silver chains, with cuffs at the end.

"Hermione is a werewolf?" Hagrid asked, for clarification.

"Yes. And I need you to help me. You're the only one who can get these chains on her."

Hagrid scratched the back of his head. "This is a bit out of my league…Ginny…"

"Hagrid! You're the professor of The Care of Magical Creatures. Unless I am mistaken, this is right up your alley!"

"But we're talkin' about Hermione! This isn't just any beast…."

"She's not a beast!" Ginny shouted violently. "She's our friend and she needs our help."

Hagrid blinked at Ginny's sudden outburst. "Aye, you're right," he conceded. "I'm just not anxious to become one of them werewolves me self."

"You've got dragon hide gloves right? Bring them. Hopefully we can distract her long enough to get a muzzle on her. Rope, whatever is handy, just to keep her from biting anyone. Then we'll worry about chaining her."

Hagrid hefted the silver chains over his shoulder and slipped his gloves into the pocket of his moleskin coat. Ginny grabbed some bundled rope that was sitting in a corner.

* * *

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

**A/N: I'm getting there, guys. I promise. Let me know your thoughts. Until next time.  
**

Quotes: "It is never any good dwelling on good-byes. It is not the being together that it prolongs, it is the parting." - Elizabeth Asquith Bibesco

"Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows." - Michael Landon


	8. Chaos

**

* * *

A/N: I am so sorry about the delay, guys. I got caught up with some other fics. I suck at writing action. I've had the chapter after this written forever, but I just couldn't seem to get there, until now. **

**Music You Should Listen To: The acoustic version of 'Diary of Jane' by Breaking Benjamin. It's haunting.**

Lyrics: _She walks into my life  
And my world is still  
She reached into my soul  
And all my doubts were killed  
That's when my loneliness subsided  
She gave me the will  
I could fight it  
But nothing can erase  
The one thing that remains the same_ – She's, Ryan Cabrera

The Beast Within, Part 8:

Chaos

By Melissa

Ginny flew to the match as fast as her broom would take her, the coiled rope on her shoulder. She was hoping that Hermione would be okay, and that she would bite anyone.

Well, maybe Draco, but no one else.

The scene was chaotic to say the least. Students and players were in a panic. Professors were trying to reign in the young crowd. In the middle of the pitch was a very angry looking werewolf.

"Please don't let her get hurt," Ginny whispered to anyone who would listen.

She sat there for a few moments, trying to formulate a plan of attack. She briefly spotted Ron and Harry running interference.

She squinted as a dark object suddenly entered the arena.

That was something the redhead didn't expect. It was a second werewolf and this one larger and darker in color than Hermione.

"Oh, damn."

Harry flew next up next to Ginny. "Where did the second one come from?!"

"I don't know! But it just made our job a whole lot harder."

The Boy Who Lived nodded. "I'd bet this was the one that made Hermione into what she is."

Ginny's eyes darkened. "Then it's mine. You think you can corral our book worm?"

"The one with the giant teeth and claws? Sure," Harry answered sarcastically before taking off.

The youngest Weasley took the rope off her shoulder and tied a lasso in the end. She then took off in a dive towards the object of her anger. The dark colored werewolf was chasing a group of young children, and closing fast.

On a pass, Ginny managed to throw the lasso over one of the werewolf's arms. Its young quarry forgotten, it watched the flying witch with interest. She was going to circle it with the rope, but the werewolf seemed to know what was about to happen. It grabbed the rope with both hands and pulled hard.

"Oh balls," Ginny said to herself as she was nearly yanked off her broom, and being pulled rather swiftly towards a very angry werewolf. The braking charm was not designed to stop such force. The broom descended in a staggered fashion, like fish being reeled in, and it eventually skidded as it hit the ground. Ginny was then on her back being dragged on the pitch.

'_Let go of the rope!_' her brain screamed at her.

She did just that and she stopped being pulled towards the werewolf. The beast wasn't about to lose its meal though. It stalked forward as Ginny attempted to scramble away. It poised to jump on the red head, still partially lying/sitting on the ground.

Just as the werewolf left its feet, it was pulled violently back to the earth, like a kite diving in strong winds. On the other end of the rope that was still attached to its wrist, was Hagrid.

Now it was the werewolf's turn to be dragged across the ground.

"She's not on the menu," Hagrid said. He wasn't about to treat this werewolf nicely, as it was pretty obvious that it was the one that made Hermione into what she now is.

The werewolf scrambled to its feet, before getting within Hagrid's reach. Its hand not held by the rope swung and razor sharp claws sliced through the bound fibers easily.

[Elsewhere]

Harry and Ron were both on the ground, trying to figure out the best way to subdue their friend without hurting her. She was lunging and snapping at the both of them. Both were flinging curses but Hermione was dodging them and advancing.

"What do we do?" Ron yelled over the din.

"We should have brought a rope like Ginny."

A massive paw with claws swiped the air where Ron's head had been just a second before.

"Or a ton of steaks," the red haired boy replied.

The group had managed to find themselves by the goal posts. They were serving to keep some space between them.

That is, until Hermione broke one in half.

"Run!!"

The young men raced for where they had left their brooms. Ron reached his first and mounted it, before taking off into the air. Harry wasn't as lucky. The werewolf jumped over him and landed squarely on the ground in front of his broom. The dark haired boy scrambled to stop his momentum. Hermione swung again and this time was able to rake her claws across his chest violently.

"Aaaaurgh!!" he hissed. Blood began to weep out of the rips in his shirt as he fell to the ground.

Hermione loomed over him, jaws open and teeth glistening. Her fangs were about to be covered with the blood that was covering the claws on her right hand/paw.

Suddenly, a large object thunked her in the head and she howled in pain. Ron had thrown a beater's club which had found its mark. Hermione turned and snarled at Ron. This gave Harry enough time to scramble away.

[Elsewhere]

The professors of Hogwarts were trying to reign in the panicked student body. Children were everywhere, and between trying to get them to safety and protecting them from harm; it was becoming a very large handful. Some students had taken it upon themselves to try and help. Curses were flying everywhere.

The most palatable smell in the air was fear.

Draco had overheard Ron and Harry arguing over the best way to fight the werewolf. He didn't understand why they weren't just trying to kill it. Until one of them referred to it as 'she.' And the other had said the name 'Hermione.'

He had not forgotten how Hermione had treated him that day in the hallway, slamming him up against the wall and threatening him.

'That filthy little mudblood,' he thought to himself. He would get her back for what she did to him. In spades.

He saw an abandoned broom on the pitch. He swooped down, alighted on the ground and picked it up. Before ascending again, he broke it over his knee, so now the handle was a long, jagged point. Taking off a silver necklace with his family's crest on it, he laid it on the broken point. Using his want, he melted the necklace into the wood.

He was going to skewer the werewolf. He would be a hero, and be rid of one of Potter's friends. There was no downside. The mudblood would be dead, and Potter would be devastated.

[Elsewhere]

Hagrid was in a dangerous dance with the, it had been determined, male werewolf. The creature had managed to bite his dragon hide gloved hands, but no damage was done.

Ginny picked up the fallen rope and wrapped it several times around the palms of her hands. While Hagrid engaged the creature, he had one hand on each the upper and lower jaw. Ginny then did a very foolish thing.

She jumped on the werewolf's back, pulling the rope tight into the back of its mouth.

"Ginny!" Hagrid yelled.

She held on the rope tightly, legs squeezing the sides of the furry back. The young girl had rough housed with 6 older brothers, so this was piece of cake. She had, as been coined by Fred and George, a freakish amount of hand strength.

"You bastard," she snarled.

If the red headed witch didn't know better, she could have sworn he laughed.

The creature bucked and swerved, but Ginny wouldn't give up her grip. She briefly cursed the fact she didn't wrap the rope around his neck, so she would at least get the satisfaction of choking him.

"Grab him!!" she screamed.

The werewolf was too concerned about Ginny on his back, that he didn't see Hagrid advance. The half giant reached out and grabbed the furry hide.

Ginny let go and fell to the turf, and Hagrid picked up the werewolf and slammed him to the ground, hard. He then did it again. The body went limp and didn't move. He still drew breath, but was blessedly unconscious.

Grabbing the rope, both she and the Hagrid began tying the limbs and mouth of the werewolf. Once they were positive he was secure, Ginny gave him a swift kick to the ribs.

Hagrid raised an eyebrow.

"That was for biting Hermione."

[Elsewhere]

Harry and Ron were still playing 'evade being mauled by Hermione.' It turns out it was not one of their favorite games.

The dark haired boy looked at his best friend, both of their wands drawn.

"We have to do something!"

Ron nodded, and then shouted. "Confundo!" The blast left his wand and went towards his other best friend.

Hermione easily dodged it.

Harry was right behind Ron with a spell. "Impedimenta!"

The Gryffindor turned werewolf was not able to move out of the way of that. It knocked her backwards a significant way. This just served to make her madder. If this was possible.

With a roar, she jumped in the air, intent on landing on her friends and ripping them the shreds. While in mid leap, Harry cast another spell.

"Obscuro!!"

A blindfold appeared in front of Hermione's feral eyes. She couldn't see and it caused her to falter on her landing. She scratched and clawed at the fabric, trying to remove it.

In the air overhead, Draco circled and plotted his descent, his hastily crafted weapon held ready. While the mudblood was being distracted by her idiot house mates, he saw his chance.

Aiming for her back, mid ribcage, he dove at an alarming rate.

Harry and Ron were too wrapped up in trying to figure out their next spell. It was tough coming up with ones that wouldn't do too much harm to their friend.

Draco forgot, or just didn't know, that werewolves had extremely good hearing. Hermione twirled just as the point of the broken broom was about to skewer her back, the blindfold being flung off in the process. She grabbed it and Malfoy, yanking him off his broom. She flung the weapon away, and turned sinister eyes on the blonde haired boy.

The red haired boy picked up the discarded weapon. It was the handle of a broken broom, with a silverish material melted on the pointed shard.

He looked at it in horror and showed it to Harry.

"That git was going to kill Hermione!!" Harry yelled.

"Well," Ron said sourly, "maybe we should let her return the favor."

While part of Harry agreed with Ron, he couldn't let Hermione kill anyone, even if it was Malfoy.

Running forward, he grabbed Malfoy's dangling legs and pulled hard. The force was enough to dislodge him out of his robes, which were mostly in Hermione's grip. Her jaws snapped shut where Draco's face had been a moment before.

The two boys scrambled away.

Hagrid and Ginny showed up and they surrounded the angry werewolf.

"What do we do? We can't all stun her! It might kill her!" Ron yelled.

"That's why I have these," Hagrid hefted some silver chains.

"Just kill it!" Draco howled.

Harry punched Draco in the face. Hermione had been right, that did feel good.

"We're not killing her, you idiot! Now shut up, or I will feed you to her myself!" Ginny yelled.

Ginny then stepped forward until she had the werewolf's undivided attention, distracting it.

"Aguamenti!"

Water shot from the tip of her wand and soaked the furry creature in the face.

Hermione lashed out, and Ginny tried to turn out of the way. The claws raked across her back, causing several bloody, deep cuts.

Hagrid approached her from behind and snapped the silver chains on her hind legs. When Hermione tripped trying to move forward at Ginny, Hagrid jumped on her and snapped the other cuffs on her wrists. She howled and writhed in annoyance at being captured. He then raised a balled fist and brought it down squarely on Hermione's head. The wolf's eyes became unfocused and then rolled in the back of her head.

"I'm sorry," Hagrid whispered to the still form.

_

* * *

_

To Be Continued…

**

* * *

**

A/N: The next chapter will be up a lot quicker than this was. I promise.

Quotes: "Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death." - General Omar Bradley


	9. Longing

**A/N: Ha. This story's ID number has '666' in the middle of it. Evil! Eeeeeevil!! But we knew that all ready, didn't we? /winks/**

**Lyrics**:  
'C_ause nobody wants to go it on their own  
And everyone wants to know they're not alone  
Somebody else that feels the same somewhere  
There's gotta be somebody for me out there_ – Gotta Be Someone, Nickelback

* * *

The Beast Within, Part 9:

Longing

By Melissa

Hagrid carried the unconscious werewolf to one of the unused towers of Hogwarts. Behind him followed Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape, as well as the youngest Weasley. Things had calmed down considerably, since the werewolves had been incapacitated.

Dumbledore chuckled to himself and said to no one in particular, "We haven't had a Quidditch match interrupted by a werewolf in almost two centuries."

Ginny smiled slightly. Leave it to the Headmaster to find the levity in this situation.

Upon entering the cavernous room, Hagrid laid Hermione on the floor gingerly. The chains clanked against the wood.

'She looks peaceful in sleep,' Ginny thought to herself.

"Wha' happens now?" he asked.

Before anyone else could answer, Ginny spoke up. "I'll stay with her."

"Are you sure, Miss Weasley?" Professor McGonagall asked. While Gryffindors were brave, no one would have looked down on the young girl for not wanting to be in the same room as a werewolf.

"She'll need to see someone familiar when she transforms. It's almost morning. I won't be in any danger from her during the day."

Snape's mouth twisted open as he was about to say something. Dumbledore placed a hand on his arm to silence him.

"An excellent idea, Miss Weasley. No doubt Hermione will have many questions once she is, shall we say, feeling more like herself."

"Thank you, Professor," Ginny said quietly.

The three teachers and Hagrid left, leaving Ginny alone with an extremely unconscious werewolf. The red haired girl took a seat against the opposite wall from Hermione, careful to lean on her side and not too much on her back. She dozed off while waiting for the sun to rise.

Hours later, Ginny was awoken by the first light of day peaking in through the barred window. She looked at Hermione and saw the transformation beginning to reverse itself. The hair was beginning to recede and her tail had disappeared. The muzzle of the werewolf shortened and ferocious yellow eyes under cracked lids turned back to brown. Moments later, a naked Hermione lay chained on the floor. Ginny got up, and on unsteady legs wobbled over to her friend. She used a key left by Dumbledore to remove the restraints. Taking off her robe, she wrapped it around the prone form, pulling her close as she did so. Ginny laid Hermione's head on her lap, wondering if it was a good idea to wake her and how to go about doing so. She didn't ponder long because the brown haired girl began to stir.

Hermione groaned as she opened her eyes, and immediately wished she hadn't. She was also assaulted by an unfamiliar sight. She appeared to be on the floor, of a room she didn't recognize, and felt that she was less than decently clothed. She had never felt so sore in all of her life. And, hang on, someone was running their fingers through her hair.

Sitting up way to fast, and nearly falling over again in the process, Hermione looked around wildly. She had no idea what was going on. She backed away from the other person quickly, scrambling to the other side of the room.

"Hermione! It's me! It's Ginny."

"Ginny!" Hermione wanted to yell, but it came out as more of a croak. "What the _hell_ is going on?? I can't remember anything since…yesterday afternoon. Where are we? And where are my clothes???"

Ginny took a step forward but this causes Hermione to press herself even more into the wall, if that was even possible. The older girl was obviously frightened and shaking like a leaf.

'Okay, I have to be careful here,' Ginny thought to herself. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "Do you remember when you were attacked in the Forbidden Forest?"

She nodded, unsure as to what that had to do with her present circumstance. She really wished her heart would stop palpitating like it was.

"Well, we know what attacked you. It was a werewolf."

Hermione stared at Ginny, her eyes boring holes through the younger girl. The wheels were turning now. The misplaced time, the not remembering. Everyone telling her she was acting strangely. The extreme nakedness.

"I'm a werewolf." It was a statement, not a question.

Ginny nodded. "You are now."

"Oh," was all Hermione managed to say before she felt herself pitching forward, but was powerless to stop the descent. She never hit the ground though as strong arms that came out of nowhere supported her. Ginny held the older girl with ease. Playing Quidditch had done wonders for her strength. She lowered them both gently to the floor.

There was silence for a little while. Hermione didn't know what to make of this revelation and Ginny didn't know what to say to make it better.

"Oh God!" Hermione suddenly cried. "Did I hurt anyone??"

"Not seriously. Harry has some scratch marks on his chest. Definitely won't be the worst scar he owns," the red head said wryly. "You almost ate Malfoy, but Harry saved him. I bet he wishes he hadn't though. There's nothing like owing a life debt to your arch nemesis."

"I hurt Harry?" Hermione's voice was weak and bordering on sobs.

Ginny rubbed the older girl's back. "Shhh. It wasn't bad, not at all. He got worse from that Hungarian Horntail."

Hermione gripped Ginny's shirt so hard her fingernails started to rip the fabric. Details were slowly coming back to her, fuzzy at first and then with more and more clarity.

"I don't want to be a werewolf."

Ginny bit down on her lip so hard she was sure she drew some blood. The statement was incredibly humorous, but she didn't think Hermione would appreciate the laughter right now.

Hermione hugged Ginny harder and the younger girl hissed in pain. She had conveniently left out the fact that she was sporting some scratch marks on her back. And while the red head had always dreamed of Hermione leaving scratches on her back, this was not what she had had in mind.

Hermione looked at her friend with eyes that suggested she was dying inside. "I hurt you too…"

"It's nothing, 'Mione. I'm fine."

"I didn't bite you, did I?"

Ginny almost swallowed her own tongue. Oh the mental images _that_ invoked.

Hermione took the lack of answer as a no. She began examining the younger girl with light touches. When she reached her back, Ginny shifted uncomfortably.

"Let me see." The statement was direct and certainly to the point.

Ginny sighed. It was obvious her friend wasn't going to be dissuaded. She grabbed the edge of her clean shirt and lifted it slowly over her head until she was sitting there in her sports bra and jeans. She turned so her back was now to Hermione.

The scratches were deep and angry, going from her right shoulder blade diagonal across her rib cage. They were red and puffy around the incision sites. In the muggle world, they probably would have required stitches. A lot of stitches.

"Ginny! Why on earth didn't you go and get these healed??" Hermione probed gently around them. When she strayed too close, Ginny would tense.

Ginny turned her head to the side so she could partially see Hermione as she examined her back.

"Because you're more important."

Further chastisement died in Hermione's throat. That may just have been the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to her. The younger girl turned around so she was facing the older one.

"Scars aren't always our choice. I'd bet you anything Harry would trade all the scars on his body to see his parents one more time. The scar on Ron's knee he got from trying to jump from the house to a tree he'd probably give up because it was so embarrassing. The twins still tease him about it. But these," she gestured to her back, "I'm going to be proud of. And it is my choice to keep them. When I see them, it's not negative feeling I get, but a good one. I got them helping my best friend. Why would I want to be rid of that?"

Hermione was shocked almost speechless. "But…I'm the one who gave them to you."

Ginny shrugged, trying to ignore the pain it caused in her shoulder and back. "I've been hurt worse playing Quidditch."

This was only partially true.

Hermione arched a thin eyebrow, suggesting she didn't totally believe the red head.

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Looks like I probably have another couple of nights of this then, huh?"

Ginny shrugged. "Dumbledore and Snape are making some wolfsbane potion. You'll turn into a werewolf, but you won't be quite as….feral."

The brown haired girl nodded.

It was quiet for a little while, before Hermione spoke again.

"Why didn't you kill me?"

Ginny looked at the object of her affection like she had gone crazy.

"You're my friend. Killing you never entered my mind. It entered Malfoy's mind, but that's only because you embarrassed him, not because you are a werewolf."

The older girl smiled slightly. Malfoy was such an idiot.

"But there is another reason."

She had her best friend's undivided attention now.

"I love you."

'_What did you just say?_' Ginny's mind asked.

'_What did she just say?_' Hermione's mind asked.

"What did you say?" Hermione asked out loud.

Ginny shook her head, the corner of her mouth twitching up slightly. "Hermione. I want you, and your mind, to be quiet for a few minutes."

The brown haired girl numbly nodded and obediently shut her mouth.

Ginny took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"I love you. I fell in love with you before you were a werewolf, and if it is possible, I think I love you even more now. Because whatever has been thrown at you, whether it's been homework, tests, certain Slytherin idiots, being petrified by a Basilisk, Deatheaters: you've handled it. I have no doubt, what so ever, that you will approach this with the same grace, determination and smarts that makes you Hermione Granger. A Gryffindor, a bookworm, now a werewolf, but always and forever Hermione." Ginny leaned in and kissed the shell shocked girl very lightly on the lips. "I thought that I was supposed to be brave, being in this House, but I have been nothing but a coward. It took the possibility of losing you for me to… 'man up' and tell you how I feel."

A few moments of silence passed. For probably the first time in her life, Hermione was at a loss for words.

Ginny watched her friend carefully. She could practically see the wheels turning inside the brunette's head.

"Hermione, you're going to have to blink sometime. Otherwise your eyeballs are going to shrivel up."

That did it. Hermione blinked rapidly and let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. Finally she spoke.

"Am…" she cleared her throat, "am I dreaming?"

'_Okay, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting_,' Ginny thought to her self.

"Why would you think that?"

"I'm a bloody werewolf!!" Hermione was understandably exasperated. "I'm naked and you're practically half naked!! I almost ate my friends and the words I have longed to hear from you, for much longer than I care to admit, are finally being said to me! You just kissed me! I have to be dreaming."

Leave it to Hermione to try and rationalize something.

It took a brief moment for the words to sink in for Ginny. '_She's been longing to hear those words from me?_'

She moved forward quickly and grabbed the front of the collar of her robes that were on Hermione's bare form. Ginny pulled the older girl into a kiss like it was to be their last. Her other hand found its way to the back of her head, intertwining itself with brown locks of hair.

Hermione didn't have time to react before she found herself being kissed, really kissed, by Ginny. Her lips were soft, but there was more than slight desperation in her actions. The brown haired girl understood completely, and mirrored that. She couldn't get enough. If this was a dream, she decided that she didn't ever want to wake up.

The need for oxygen in their lungs finally broke them apart.

"You're not dreaming."

"Thank heavens."

Hermione wrapped her arms around Ginny's waist, careful to avoid the injuries on her back. Ginny's arms were over Hermione's shoulders, and she locked them together behind her head.

They stayed that way for what felt like a long time. Finally, Ginny spoke.

"Let's get you to the medical wing, make sure everything is all right."

Hermione stared at her.

"I mean, everything is all right now." She nudged her playfully.

The two left the tower and made it to the medical wing. That is when Ginny left the love of her life to be checked out by Madame Pomfrey. After changing into a hospital type gown, Hermione handed Ginny back her robe.

Ginny took her robe back and sadly left, not wanting to be away from Hermione. The whole way back to the tower though, she was slightly giddy. When she got back to her room, she buried her face in the fabric and inhaled deeply. It smelled like Hermione's skin. She firmly believed she would never wash this particular robe again.

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To Be Continued…

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A/N: One more chapter, me thinks.

Quote: "I do now know what it is about you that closes and opens only something in me understands that the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses." - e.e. cummings


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